Method and computer program product of switching locked state of electronic device

ABSTRACT

In a verification method for use in an electronic device, a user input is received and a biologic feature data is captured while the user input is received. Then, the electronic device is prohibited from performing an operation corresponding to the user input based on a determination that the biologic feature data does not conform to a reference biologic feature data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/887,239 filed Sep. 21, 2010, now pending. Thecontent of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety and made a part of thisspecification.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and a computer program productof switching a locked state, and more particular to a method and acomputer program product of switching a locked state while receiving aninput from a user for an operation. The present invention also relatesto an electronic device whose locked state is optionally switched whilereceiving an input from a user for an operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In consideration of information security, it is more and more common toimpart a user-verifying function to an electronic device, and moreparticularly to a portable device such as USB drive, smart phone,notebook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., which issubject to loss. Generally, the user-verifying function is performed byway of biologic feature check, e.g. fingerprint check.

Please refer to FIG. 1A, which schematically shows the appearance of asmart phone, and FIG. 1B, which illustrates the flowchart of aconventional fingerprint-verifying process applied to the smart phone.After a user switches on the power of the smart phone 100 and a bootingprocess is executed, a prompt window pops up on the display 10 (Step101), instructing the user to perform fingerprint check through anoptical sensor 11 disposed on the phone 100. After the optical sensor 11finishes scanning the user's fingerprint and acquires a correspondingfingerprint data (Step 102), the fingerprint data is compared with apreviously stored fingerprint data (Step 103). If a comparable result isobtained, the smart phone enters a normal operation mode (Step 104) soas to allow the user to normally operate the phone 100. Thus the usermay input commands via a push button 12 as shown in FIG. 1A or thedisplay 10 when it is a touch screen. On the contrary, if the acquiredfingerprint data does not conform to the previously stored fingerprintdata, the smart phone 100 enters a locked mode so that the input meansis disabled from normal command input (Step 105).

As the fingerprint-verifying procedure has to be conducted to unlock thephone before a user may successfully operate the phone, it istroublesome and time-consuming to general users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to simplify auser-identifying process of electronic device in order to improve theutilization rate of a user-identifying function for information securityof the electronic device.

In an aspect of the present invention, a method of switching a lockedstate of an electronic device with a user-verifying function isprovided. In the method, a biologic feature data from a user is capturedwhile receiving an input from the user for an operation when theelectronic device is in a locked state. Whether the biologic featuredata conforms to a reference biologic feature data is then determined.If it is determined that the biologic feature data conforms to thereference biologic feature data, the electronic device is switched fromthe locked state into a non-locked state and directly controls theelectronic device to perform the operation according to the input whenthe biologic feature data is determined conforming to the referencebiologic feature data.

In another method of switching a locked state of an electronic devicewith a user-verifying function according to the present invention, abiologic feature data from a user is captured while receiving an inputfrom the user for an operation when the electronic device is in anon-locked state. Whether the biologic feature data conforms to areference biologic feature data is then determined. If the biologicfeature data is not determined conforming to the reference biologicfeature data, the electronic device is switched from the non-lockedstate into a locked state and prohibited from performing the operationaccording to the input.

In another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device includes: an input module configured tocapture a first biologic feature data from a first user while receivinga first input from the first user for a first operation; a determiningmodule, coupled to the input module, configured to determine whether thefirst biologic feature data conforms to a reference biologic featuredata; and a control module, coupled to the determining module,configured to switch the electronic device from the locked state into anon-locked state, and directly control the electronic device to performthe first operation according to the first input when determining moduledetermines the first biologic feature data conforms to the referencebiologic feature data.

In another electronic device according to the present invention, aninput module, a determining module and a control module are included,wherein the input module is configured to capture a biologic featuredata from a user while receiving an input from the user for an operationof the electronic device when the electronic device is in a non-lockedstate; the determining module is coupled to the input module andconfigured to determine whether the biologic feature data conforms to areference biologic feature data; and the control module is coupled tothe determining module and configured to switch the electronic devicefrom the non-locked state into a locked state and prohibit theelectronic device from performing the operation according to the inputwhen the determining module determines the biologic feature data doesnot conform to the reference biologic feature data.

In a further aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable mediumhaving stored thereon instructions is provided. The instructions, whenexecuted by a processor in an electronic device, cause the processor toperform operations of: capturing a biologic feature data from a userwhile receiving an input from the user for an operation when theelectronic device is in a locked state; determining whether the biologicfeature data conforms to a reference biologic feature data; andswitching the electronic device from the locked state into a non-lockedstate and directly controlling the electronic device to perform theoperation according to the input when the biologic feature data isdetermined conforming to the reference biologic feature data.

In another computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructionsaccording to the present invention, the instructions, when executed by aprocessor in an electronic device, cause the processor to performoperations of: capturing a biologic feature data from a user whilereceiving an input from the user for an operation when the electronicdevice is in a non-locked state; determining whether the biologicfeature data conforms to a reference biologic feature data; andswitching the electronic device from the non-locked state into a lockedstate and prohibiting the electronic device from performing theoperation according to the input when the biologic feature data is notdetermined conforming to the reference biologic feature data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above contents of the present invention will become more readilyapparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of a smart phone;

FIG. 1B is a flowchart illustrating a conventional fingerprint-verifyingprocess applied to the smart phone of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching anoperational state of an electronic device with abiologic-feature-verifying function according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating a method for switching anoperational state of an electronic device with abiologic-feature-verifying function according to another embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an electronic deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described more specifically withreference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that thefollowing descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention arepresented herein for purpose of illustration and description only; it isnot intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise formdisclosed.

Please refer to FIG. 2A, which is a flowchart illustrating a method ofswitching a locked state of an electronic device with abiologic-feature-verifying function according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The electronic device, for example, can be acomputer, a PDA, a mobile phone, a multimedia player, a game console, adigital camera or any other electronically lockable electronic device.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, the electronic device ispreset to be locked until a user passes the verification. When theelectronic device is locked, partial or all functions of the electronicdevice are disabled. Take a mobile phone for example. When the mobilephone is locked, it may lock only one or more functions of making aphone call, sending a message, checking phone-call records, checkingmailbox, etc. Alternatively, it is also feasible to lock all theoperational functions of the mobile phone. When the electronic devicereceives an input for an operation from an arbitrary user, a biologicfeature of the user is captured at the same time and a biologic featuredata to be verified is generated (Step 200). The biologic feature to becaptured can be but is not limited to one or more of fingerprint,voiceprint, speech contents, palm print, iris image or faceconfiguration. The biologic feature data to be verified is then comparedwith a reference biologic feature data for user verification todetermine the conformity (Step 202). Whether the biologic feature datato be verified conforms to the reference biologic feature data can bedetermined according to a variety of criteria. For example, for highlysecurity requirement, the conformity has to be highly confirmed. If thebiologic feature data to be verified conforms to the reference biologicfeature data, the electronic device is switched from the locked stateinto a non-locked state so that the operation can be performed directlyaccording to the input (Step 204). Meanwhile, some or all the otheroperations of the electronic device are enabled, depending on settings.For example, only the functions of making a phone call and sending amessage are enabled but all the other functions including checkingphone-call records and checking mailbox are still disabled. In anotherexample, which parts of functions are to be enabled can be preset basedon users. In other words, some user(s) is(are) allowed to checkphone-call records and/or mailbox but others are not permitted. On theother hand, if it is not determined that the biologic feature dataconforms to the reference biologic feature data in Step 202, theelectronic device keeps locked and is prohibited from performing theoperation (Step 206). By way of user verification, the information ofthe electronic device can be secured.

In an example that the electronic device is a mobile phone with a touchscreen, a user may conduct a manipulating input by way of the touchscreen with his finger even when the mobile phone is in a locked state.While the user's finger is moving on the touch screen to execute aspecified function such as scrolling a picture, the user's fingerprintdata is captured and compared with the previously stored referencefingerprint data. Alternatively, the user may put his finger on theoptical sensor to be scanned so that the mobile phone in the lockedstate may capture the user's fingerprint data and compare it with thereference fingerprint data. If the two fingerprint data are comparable,the locked state of the mobile phone is cleared so that thepicture-scrolling function is performed. On the other hand, if thecurrent user's fingerprint data does not conform to the referencefingerprint data, the mobile phone is still in the locked state. Thatis, the picture-scrolling function will not be performed.

In another example that the electronic device is a mobile phone with avoice control mechanism, a user may conduct an operation with his voiceeven when the mobile phone is in a locked state. While the user speaksto execute a specified function such as making a phone call, the user'svoice print data is captured by a voice-identifying module and comparedwith the previously stored reference voice print data. If the two voiceprint data are comparable, the locked state of the mobile phone iscleared so that the calling function is performed. On the other hand, ifthe current user's voice print data does not conform to the referencevoice print data, the mobile phone is still in the locked state. Thatis, no phone call could be made.

In this way, an authorized user whose biologic feature data has beenregistered is capable of using the mobile phone in the locked statewithout additional operation to unlock the phone. In contrast, anunauthorized user whose biologic feature data was not recorded cannotoperate the phone as the phone remains in the locked state. In otherwords, conventional user-verification conducted through a specificverifying procedure can be exempted from for an authorized user, whileinformation can still be secured from an unauthorized user.

In the above embodiments associated with FIG. 2A, the electronic devicekeeps locked if there is no biologic feature data of the current userrecorded (Step 204). Nevertheless, the phone may execute an alternativeverifying procedure after Step 204. For example, a pin number or aspecific input is requested for verification. For a smart phone, forexample, a virtual key pad may be provided on a touch screen for theuser to input a pin number or an input area may be provided on a touchscreen for the user to input a literal or symbolic signature. If theuser passes the alternative verifying operation, the electronic devicecan be unlocked. Otherwise, the electronic device remains locked.

In another embodiment illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 2B, theelectronic device is preset to be a non-locked state until anunauthorized user is detected. When the electronic device receives aninput for an operation from an arbitrary user, a biologic feature of theuser is captured at the same time and a biologic feature data to beverified is generated (Step 210). The biologic feature data to beverified is compared with a previously stored reference biologic featuredata for user verification to determine the conformity (Step 212). Ifthe biologic feature data fails in the user verification, i.e. thebiologic feature data to be verified does not conform to the referencebiologic feature data, the electronic device is switched from thenon-locked state to a locked state and is prohibited from performing theoperation (Step 214). On the other hand, if the biologic feature datapasses the user verification, i.e. the biologic feature data to beverified conforms to the reference biologic feature data, the electronicdevice remains in the non-locked state and the operation is performeddirectly according to the input (Step 216).

In an example that the electronic device is a mobile phone with a touchscreen, a user may conduct a manipulating input by way of the touchscreen with his finger when the mobile phone is in an unlocked state.While the user's finger is moving on the touch screen to execute aspecified function such as scrolling a picture, the user's fingerprintdata is captured and compared with the previously stored referencefingerprint data. Alternatively, the user may put his finger on theoptical sensor to be scanned so that the mobile phone in the unlockedstate may capture the user's fingerprint data and compare it with thereference fingerprint data. If the two fingerprint data are comparable,the picture-scrolling function is successfully performed. On the otherhand, if the current user's fingerprint data does not conform to thereference fingerprint data, the mobile phone enters a locked state. Thatis, the picture-scrolling function will not be performed.

In another example that the electronic device is a mobile phone with avoice control mechanism, a user may conduct an operation with his voicewhen the mobile phone is in a locked state. While the user speaks toexecute a specified function such as making a phone call, the user'svoice print data is captured by a voice-identifying module and comparedwith the previously stored reference voice print data. If the two voiceprint data are comparable, the calling function is successfullyperformed. On the other hand, if the current user's voice print datadoes not conform to the reference voice print data, the mobile phoneenters a locked state. That is, no phone call could be made.

In this way, an authorized user whose biologic feature data has beenregistered is capable of using the mobile phone in the non-locked stateof the phone. In contrast, an unauthorized user whose biologic featuredata was not recorded cannot operate the phone as the phone enters alocked state. In other words, conventional user-verification conductedthrough a specific verifying procedure can be exempted from for anauthorized user, while information can still be secured from anunauthorized user.

In the above embodiments associated with FIG. 2B, the electronic deviceis locked if there is no biologic feature data of the current userrecorded (Step 214). However, the phone may execute an additionalverifying procedure after Step 214. For example, a pin number or aspecific input is requested for verification. For a smart phone, forexample, a virtual key pad may be provided on a touch screen for theuser to input a pin number or an input area may be provided on a touchscreen for the user to input a literal or symbolic signature. If theuser passes the additional verifying operation, the electronic devicecan be unlocked. Otherwise, the electronic device remains locked.

For advanced security, the verifying procedures as illustrated in FIGS.2A and 2B can be combined and executed periodically. For example, in acertain period after a user has been verified and the electronic deviceis unlocked in the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the electronic device performsthe verifying procedure of the FIG. 2B embodiment in order to avoidsubsequent use of the electronic device by an unauthorized user. Ofcourse, it is possible to execute the FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B procedure againto re-check the adequacy of the locked or non-locked state of theelectronic device. The repetitive verifying actions can be done atintervals or triggered by a specific operation.

The reference biologic feature data described above can be previouslystored in the electronic device. Alternatively, the reference biologicfeature data can also be previously stored in a remote device, e.g. adata server accessible via Internet. Then the reference biologic featuredata can be acquired via Internet to be compared with.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which illustrates an embodiment of electronicdevice according to the present invention, capable of switching statesas described above. Examples of the electronic device 300 include, butare not limited to, a computer, a PDA, a mobile phone, a multimediaplayer, a game console, a digital camera or any other electronicallylockable electronic device.

In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the electronic device 300 includesan input module 30, a determining module 31, a control module 32 and astorage module 33. The storage module 33 is used for storing thereference biologic feature data for user verification, and may beomitted if a remote device accessible by the electronic device is usedfor storing the reference biologic feature data. The remote device, forexample, can be a data server accessible via Internet. The input module30 is used for receiving the input from a user and capturing the user'sbiologic feature data. In practice, the input module 30 can beimplemented with an optical sensor which may capture fingerprint data,palm print data and/or iris image data; a touch screen which may capturefingerprint data and/or palm print data; a voice-identifying module suchas a microphone, which may capture voice print data or speech contents;or an image-identifying module such as a camera, which may capture faceconfiguration data. The determining module 31 is coupled to the inputmodule 30 and the storage module 33 for determining the conformitybetween the captured biologic feature data and the reference biologicfeature data. The control module 32 is coupled to the determining module31 for optionally switching the locked/non-locked state of theelectronic device 300 according to the determining result of thedetermining module 31. If the captured biologic feature data conforms tothe reference biologic feature data, the electronic device is unlockedso that the operation is directly performed according to the input. Onthe contrary, if the captured biologic feature data is not determinedconforming to the reference biologic feature data, the electronic deviceis locked so that the operation corresponding to the input cannot beperformed.

The determining module 31 and the control module 32 can be implementedwith microprocessors or digital signal processors. While the user isconducting the input via the input module 30 with his finger, palm,eyeball or voice, the user's biologic feature data is captured at thesame time. There is no need for the user to perform any additionaluser-verifying procedure to acquire the biologic feature data. With thecomparison of the captured biologic feature data with the referencebiologic feature data, whether the state should be changed or not can bedetermined. As for the operational details of the modules, they areappreciable from the associated steps described with reference to FIG.2A and FIG. 2B, and not redundantly described herein

Please refer to FIG. 4, which illustrates another embodiment ofelectronic device according to the present invention, capable ofswitching states as described above. The electronic device 400 as shownin FIG. 4, similar to the electronic device 300 as shown in FIG. 3,includes an input module, a determining module, a control module and anoptional storage module, and further includes an unlocking module 40.The unlocking module 40 is coupled to the determining module 31. Whenthe determining module 31 determines that the captured biologic featuredata does not conform to the reference biologic feature data so that theelectronic device 400 is locked, the unlocking module 40 provides analternative way to unlock the electronic device 400. The unlockingmodule 400, for example, can be a physical push button, a touch screenand/or a touch pad, from which a pin number or other unlocking input canbe made. Once the input passes the verification, the unlocking module 40unlocks the electronic device 400. Otherwise, the electronic device 400remains locked.

The method for switching a locked state as described above can beexecuted in a variety of electronic device in a form of computerinstructions. The computer instructions can be digital data recorded ina computer readable medium such as an optical disc, a memory card or aUSB drive, and when executed by a processor in an electronic device,cause the processor to perform operations of: capturing a biologicfeature data from a user while receiving an input from the user for anoperation when the electronic device is in a locked state; determiningwhether the biologic feature data conforms to a reference biologicfeature data; and switching the electronic device from the locked stateinto a non-locked state and directly controlling the electronic deviceto perform the operation according to the input when the biologicfeature data is determined conforming to the reference biologic featuredata. Alternatively or additionally, The computer instructions, whenexecuted by a processor in an electronic device, cause the processor toperform operations of: capturing a biologic feature data from a userwhile receiving an input from the user for an operation when theelectronic device is in a non-locked state; determining whether thebiologic feature data conforms to a reference biologic feature data; andswitching the electronic device from the non-locked state into a lockedstate and prohibiting the electronic device from performing theoperation according to the input when the biologic feature data is notdetermined conforming to the reference biologic feature data.

It is understood from the foregoing that according to the presentinvention, an authorized user can be verified at the same time that aninput from the user for an operation is conducted. Meanwhile, the usermay normally operate the electronic device. On the contrary, an inputfrom an unauthorized user for an operation cannot unlock the electronicdevice or will result in the switching from a non-locked state into alocked state of the electronic device. In this way, the electronicdevice is secured from an unauthorized user.

While the invention has been described in terms of what is presentlyconsidered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is tobe understood that the invention needs not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similarstructures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A verification method for use in an electronicdevice, the method comprising: (a) receiving a user input; (b) capturinga biologic feature data while receiving the user input; and (c)prohibiting the electronic device from performing an operationcorresponding to the user input based on a determination that thebiologic feature data does not conform to a reference biologic featuredata.
 2. The verification method of claim 1, further comprisingexecuting an alternative user-verifying procedure based on thedetermination that the biologic feature data does not conform to thereference biologic feature data.
 3. The verification method of claim 1,further comprising: (d) receiving another user input; (e) capturinganother biologic feature data while receiving the another user input;and (f) performing the operation corresponding to the another user inputbased on another determination that the another biologic feature dataconforms to the reference biologic feature data.
 4. The verificationmethod of claim 3, wherein: the step (d) includes receiving the anotheruser input when the electronic device is in a locked state; and theverification method further comprises switching the electronic devicefrom the locked state to a non-locked state based on the anotherdetermination that the another biologic feature data conforms to thereference biologic feature data.
 5. The verification method of claim 1,wherein: the step (a) includes receiving the user input when theelectronic device is in a non-locked state; and the verification methodfurther comprises switching the electronic device from the non-lockedstate to a locked state based on the determination that the biologicfeature data does not conform to the reference biologic feature data. 6.The verification method of claim 5, further comprising: (d) receivinganother user input; (e) capturing another biologic feature data whilereceiving the another user input; (f) performing the operationcorresponding to the another user input based on another determinationthat the another biologic feature data conforms to the referencebiologic feature data.
 7. The verification method of claim 6, wherein:the step (d) includes receiving the another user input when theelectronic device is in a locked state; and the verification methodfurther comprises switching the electronic device from the locked stateto a non-locked state based on the another determination that theanother biologic feature data conforms to the reference biologic featuredata.
 8. The verification method of claim 1, wherein the referencebiologic feature data is stored in the electronic device or a remotedevice accessible by the electronic device.
 9. An electronic device,comprising: an input module, configured to receive a user input andcapture a biologic feature data while receiving the user input; adetermining module, coupled to the input module, configured to determinewhether the biologic feature data conforms to a reference biologicfeature data; and a control module, coupled to the determining module,configured to prohibit the electronic device from performing anoperation corresponding to the user input when the determining moduledetermines the biologic feature data does not conform to the referencebiologic feature data.
 10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein thecontrol module is further configured to execute an alternativeuser-verifying procedure when the determining module determines thebiologic feature data does not conform to the reference biologic featuredata.
 11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein: the input module isfurther configured to receive another user input and capture anotherbiologic feature data while receiving the another user input; thedetermining module is further configured to determine whether theanother biologic feature data conforms to the reference biologic featuredata; and the control module is further configured to perform theoperation corresponding to the another user input when the determiningmodule determines the another biologic feature data conforms to thereference biologic feature data.
 12. The electronic device of claim 11,wherein: the input module is configured to receive another user inputwhen the electronic device is in a locked state; and the control moduleis further configured to switch the electronic device from the lockedstate to a non-locked state when the determining module determines theanother biologic feature data conforms to the reference biologic featuredata.
 13. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein: the input module isconfigured to receive the user input when the electronic device is in anon-locked state; and the control module is further configured to switchthe electronic device from the non-locked state to a locked state whenthe determining module determines the biologic feature data does notconform to the reference biologic feature data.
 14. The electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein: the input module is further configured toreceive another user input and capture another biologic feature datawhile receiving the another user input; the determining module isfurther configured to determine whether the another biologic featuredata conforms to a reference biologic feature data; and the controlmodule is further configured to perform the operation corresponding tothe another user input when the determining module determines theanother biologic feature data conforms to the reference biologic featuredata.
 15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein: the input moduleis configured to receive another user input when the electronic deviceis in a locked state; the control module is further configured to switchthe electronic device from the locked state to a non-locked state whenthe determining module determines the another biologic feature dataconforms to the reference biologic feature data.
 16. The electronicdevice of claim 9, wherein the input module comprises at least one of anoptical sensor, a touch screen, and a microphone.
 17. The electronicdevice of claim 9, wherein the biologic feature data comprises at leastone of fingerprint data, voiceprint data, speech contents data, palmprint data, iris image data, and face configuration data.
 18. Acomputer-readable non-transitory medium having stored thereoninstructions, which, when executed by a processor in an electronicdevice, cause the processor to perform operations of: receiving a userinput; capturing a biologic feature data while receiving the user input;and prohibiting the electronic device from performing an operationcorresponding to the user input based on a determination that thebiologic feature data does not conform to a reference biologic featuredata.